Hello newbie here! Keto/low carb friends wanted

Hi i am pretty new keto/low carb I would love it if i had more likeminded friends on here!

any advice is appreciated

I am a little afraid of the whole cholesterol aspect as most newbies probably are, so any tips on getting in fat from plant based sources would be awesome, although i am not giving up cheese (no way) i guess what i'm saying is that i just can't stomach any of the "fat bombs" i see floating around the internet. The thought of eating solid butter mixed with cream cheese doesn't appeal to me.

Also i am a student so any tips on awesome portable foods that don't require to be heated up would be great! :flowerforyou: :drinker:

Replies

  • Jim1960
    Jim1960 Posts: 194
    Hello partywalk. I'm thoroughly convinced that the ketogenic diet is the best for me and I can always use more people who embrace that way of eating to share ideas with and help each other along. Feel free to add me.

    Recent studies, particularly over the past decade, have shown that a low carb high fat diet (including ketogenic diets of course), not only don't cause problems on the cholesterol front; they do better at improving it than traditional low fat diets. LCHF diets tend to decrease triglycerides, increase HDL cholestrol, decrease the bad kind of LDL cholesterol and increase the good kind of cholesterol. Don't give into what are now established as myths that animal fats are bad for you. Embrace the fat. Butter makes all things better :)

    When I have more time I'll link to several studies so you can read up for yourself.
  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
    Welcome! You definitely need to lose the fear of fat and cholesterol. You already like to eat cheese, so I'd say that's a good start. When it comes to fat bombs and butter: I'm not into these at all. I'm currently losing body fat (and I have a lot of it to lose), so even on a ketogenic diet I don't need to eat much fat. But I'm fairly active, so once I reach the maintenance phase I'll have to find ways to eat enough fat. Butter and Heavy Creams are good options, but you don't need to eat all that much saturated fat. It's not bad for you in and of itself, but the human body stores mainly monounsaturated fat. So getting your fat predominately from olive oil and avocados and supplementing with butter is fine.
  • Naughty_ZOOT
    Naughty_ZOOT Posts: 4,337 Member
    Hi!
    All great advice so far. I am happy to share with you so feel free to send a friend request if you like.
  • blaccoffee
    blaccoffee Posts: 26 Member
    Pecans and pepperoni slices are great portable snacks.
  • Forget plant based fats, as a rule of thumb eat more saturated fat, mono saturated fat while keeping poly saturated fats to minimum. Eat tons of butter, olive oil, coconut oil, bacon, heavy cream, full fat cheese, full fat Greek yogurt and fatty meats. Avoid vegetable oils or plant based fats with poly fats. I eat around 1000-1200 mg of cholestorol per day, almost 4 times more than recommended 300 mg/day. My blood work had been never better, cholestorol in food doesn't increase your blood cholestorol.
  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
    Also i am a student so any tips on awesome portable foods that don't require to be heated up would be great! :flowerforyou: :drinker:

    One of the great benefits of a ketogenic diet is that you naturally lose the need for constant snacking. Yesterday I had a very busy work day with a lot of walking, debating and driving, and all I ate until 19:00 was a salad with meat and olive oil for lunch. Before keto I used to be quite vulnerable to snacks - and at work people keep offering and eating candy and cake. My company hands out fruit for free to "provide healthy alternatives", so my work day is full of watching people eat. On keto I can resist the temptation to graze.

    But if you must, or to wean yourself off of the snacking habit, switch to protein/fat snacks like nuts, cheese, dried meat, sausages. Just beware of carbs (processed meat, jerky, macadamias) or poly-unsaturated fats (walnuts, peanuts). One added benefit of those snacks is that they're rich in sodium, which you want to eat more of on keto.
  • persistentsoul
    persistentsoul Posts: 268 Member
    I am quite new to it all still, 6 weeks so far but love it. It does go against usual food pyramids but i read loads online and watched lots on you tube about Ketogenic way of eating and also cholesterol myth. It made a lot of sense to me. I no longer have the intense food cravings that have made my life hell for decades. I love the freedom that gives me. I do not get overly hungry ever, if i am hungry it is always at a time i am due a meal. I feel no need for any snacks beween meals. I feel content after my meals. It really suits me. I eat good quality meats, eggs, coconut oil, virgin olive oil, Dairy does not agree with me as a rule but plain Kefir yogurt i am ok with. Nuts sadly make me very unwell with gastric distress so much as i like eating them it is not worth it for me. I do enjoy avocado and coconut butter though as well as olives as plant based fats. The only thing with plant based fats is that they usually come with carbs so I keep an eye not to rely too much on them. I love veg though and find I can still eat a good amount while keeping my net carbs under 20g.

    I take 400mg magnesium, a multi vit, b12, and pottassium suplements daily just to be sure i am not missing out on anything. I feel ok, I have not had any cramps or headaches at all. I was very weak, had lots of hot sweats and lost masses of water retention in wek one despite drinking loads. I went in to it all over night though without any weaning myself off junk food or gradual changes. I just do better that way and was not surprized I had some transition sypmtoms. The only other issue I had was some constipation which was probably in part my body geting used to changes and taking time to adapt internal flora etc to new way of eating. I found including plenty of veg, drinking lots and also eating some Sauerkraut each day solved issue, do not go over board on the sauerkreat though it can be a bit too effective.

    My body went in to ketosis from day two and has stayed in it ever since. My energy has been slow to rise but i felt awful before i started Keto so my system has had a lot of healing and adapting to do which i believe Ketogenic eating is helping with. Good luck
  • Shannnabanana
    Shannnabanana Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks for all of the suggestions!

    I don't really understand why i would want to forget about plant based fats and focus more on fats from butter, cream and so on.... can someone elaborate on this?

    I don't like the feeling i get when i eat nothing but animal fat all day long, i feel heavy and greasy and gross.
    But if i include lots of coconut oil, avocado, and supplement the rest of the day with a little bit of heavy cream, butter (to cook with) and some cheese, i feel great.

    The tendency to snack pretty much completely goes away, which is great for me since when i eat a typical diet (even clean, with complex carbs and such) i still feel so hungry after a meal and i get ravenously hungry abut 2 hours after eating.

    Have any of you been exercising? I am a college student that doesn't cope well with stress :laugh: :laugh: so i can't seem to make time to exercise during the work week other than taking my dogs on a 10-15 minute walk 3 times a day.
  • mcpostelle
    mcpostelle Posts: 418 Member
    Hello! I'm not new to keto, but I'm re-starting after a few years hiatus. Feel free to add me. :smile:
  • Naughty_ZOOT
    Naughty_ZOOT Posts: 4,337 Member
    I am quite new to it all still, 6 weeks so far but love it. It does go against usual food pyramids but i read loads online and watched lots on you tube about Ketogenic way of eating and also cholesterol myth. It made a lot of sense to me. I no longer have the intense food cravings that have made my life hell for decades. I love the freedom that gives me. I do not get overly hungry ever, if i am hungry it is always at a time i am due a meal. I feel no need for any snacks beween meals. I feel content after my meals. It really suits me. I eat good quality meats, eggs, coconut oil, virgin olive oil, Dairy does not agree with me as a rule but plain Kefir yogurt i am ok with. Nuts sadly make me very unwell with gastric distress so much as i like eating them it is not worth it for me. I do enjoy avocado and coconut butter though as well as olives as plant based fats. The only thing with plant based fats is that they usually come with carbs so I keep an eye not to rely too much on them. I love veg though and find I can still eat a good amount while keeping my net carbs under 20g.

    I take 400mg magnesium, a multi vit, b12, and pottassium suplements daily just to be sure i am not missing out on anything. I feel ok, I have not had any cramps or headaches at all. I was very weak, had lots of hot sweats and lost masses of water retention in wek one despite drinking loads. I went in to it all over night though without any weaning myself off junk food or gradual changes. I just do better that way and was not surprized I had some transition sypmtoms. The only other issue I had was some constipation which was probably in part my body geting used to changes and taking time to adapt internal flora etc to new way of eating. I found including plenty of veg, drinking lots and also eating some Sauerkraut each day solved issue, do not go over board on the sauerkreat though it can be a bit too effective.

    My body went in to ketosis from day two and has stayed in it ever since. My energy has been slow to rise but i felt awful before i started Keto so my system has had a lot of healing and adapting to do which i believe Ketogenic eating is helping with. Good luck

    Soak your nuts! See this link on the basics of how to do it (there are more online); it makes a world of difference:
    http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/soaking-nuts.html
    Salt is optional; I have done them both ways and I like the sweeter unsalted nut most of the time.
    My oven has a dehydration setting so I use that rather than my dehydrator. Time will vary so I start them the next morning in the oven after soaking over night. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and stir occasionally. I let them go until they are completely dry. Store in glass jars.
  • Naughty_ZOOT
    Naughty_ZOOT Posts: 4,337 Member
    Thanks for all of the suggestions!

    I don't really understand why i would want to forget about plant based fats and focus more on fats from butter, cream and so on.... can someone elaborate on this?

    I don't like the feeling i get when i eat nothing but animal fat all day long, i feel heavy and greasy and gross.
    But if i include lots of coconut oil, avocado, and supplement the rest of the day with a little bit of heavy cream, butter (to cook with) and some cheese, i feel great.

    The tendency to snack pretty much completely goes away, which is great for me since when i eat a typical diet (even clean, with complex carbs and such) i still feel so hungry after a meal and i get ravenously hungry abut 2 hours after eating.

    Have any of you been exercising? I am a college student that doesn't cope well with stress :laugh: :laugh: so i can't seem to make time to exercise during the work week other than taking my dogs on a 10-15 minute walk 3 times a day.

    Here are some great reads that you need to pick up:
    Volek & Phinney- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
    " " - The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance
    Mark Sisson- Primal Blueprint
    Gary Taubes- Good Calories, Bad Calories

    There are more but those are great places to start.
    When it was suggested that you avoid veggie fats, it was specifically because of polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats. No trans fats either! Olive and avocado oil are great monounsaturated sources (MUFA) in addition to the coconut oil which is a must. I use California Olive Ranch oils vs imported because of the fraud in imported oils and they taste great. I use coconut oil every day which gives me energy. I just got off of a 4-day test of just kerrygold butter or olive oil and my energy flagged. I added back the coconut oil yesterday and I am zipping around again :bigsmile: V & P recommend MUFA, Saturated then poly in that order of preference. They also mention to remember about balancing your omega-3 to 6 ratio. Coconut oil is saturated primarily but is my go-to fat preference. I do not trim animal foods either. Your choices are just fine so if they work for you then stick with them.

    Your walking your dogs 3 times a day is commendable for both you and them! That is plenty for what Sisson calls the long slow movement. He explains that you need mostly that kind of exercise then strength and sprinting. See if your college or local library has those books on hand so you can save some money.
    Sisson's web page is www.marksdailyapple.com and he has a red "Start Here" button.
    V & P web site is: www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com
    Another good resource: www.dietdoctor.com which is Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD

    There are more but that will more than get you going.
  • persistentsoul
    persistentsoul Posts: 268 Member
    I have not tried soaking nuts, I will read up and next time I will give that a go. Thank you
  • Shannnabanana
    Shannnabanana Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks for all of the suggestions!

    I don't really understand why i would want to forget about plant based fats and focus more on fats from butter, cream and so on.... can someone elaborate on this?

    I don't like the feeling i get when i eat nothing but animal fat all day long, i feel heavy and greasy and gross.
    But if i include lots of coconut oil, avocado, and supplement the rest of the day with a little bit of heavy cream, butter (to cook with) and some cheese, i feel great.

    The tendency to snack pretty much completely goes away, which is great for me since when i eat a typical diet (even clean, with complex carbs and such) i still feel so hungry after a meal and i get ravenously hungry abut 2 hours after eating.

    Have any of you been exercising? I am a college student that doesn't cope well with stress :laugh: :laugh: so i can't seem to make time to exercise during the work week other than taking my dogs on a 10-15 minute walk 3 times a day.

    Here are some great reads that you need to pick up:
    Volek & Phinney- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
    " " - The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance
    Mark Sisson- Primal Blueprint
    Gary Taubes- Good Calories, Bad Calories

    There are more but those are great places to start.
    When it was suggested that you avoid veggie fats, it was specifically because of polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats. No trans fats either! Olive and avocado oil are great monounsaturated sources (MUFA) in addition to the coconut oil which is a must. I use California Olive Ranch oils vs imported because of the fraud in imported oils and they taste great. I use coconut oil every day which gives me energy. I just got off of a 4-day test of just kerrygold butter or olive oil and my energy flagged. I added back the coconut oil yesterday and I am zipping around again :bigsmile: V & P recommend MUFA, Saturated then poly in that order of preference. They also mention to remember about balancing your omega-3 to 6 ratio. Coconut oil is saturated primarily but is my go-to fat preference. I do not trim animal foods either. Your choices are just fine so if they work for you then stick with them.

    Your walking your dogs 3 times a day is commendable for both you and them! That is plenty for what Sisson calls the long slow movement. He explains that you need mostly that kind of exercise then strength and sprinting. See if your college or local library has those books on hand so you can save some money.
    Sisson's web page is www.marksdailyapple.com and he has a red "Start Here" button.
    V & P web site is: www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com
    Another good resource: www.dietdoctor.com which is Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD

    There are more but that will more than get you going.


    Thanks!!